TRAVELS WITH KINGDEANO ADVENTURES
Our Passport journey began at the Mine site, an open-air museum and National Heritage area rich with relics of copper mining. We explored remains of shafts and machinery and climbed to Morphett’ s Engine House, built in 1858. This Cornish pump house once housed an 80in beam engine that plunged 600ft underground. From the lookout above, the sweeping views brought the scale of Burra’ s mining era alive.
Next, we drove out to Redruth Gaol, built in 1856 as South Australia’ s first prison outside Adelaide. By 1866, it reportedly held no inmates despite being operational. The gaol later became a girls’ reformatory before its conversion into a museum in the late 1980s. We unlocked the gate with our Passport Key and walked through its stone corridors alone, reading displays that brought the stories of incarcerated men, women, and children to life. Valid for two days, the Passport Key is the perfect way to wander through Burra’ s mining legacy at your own pace.
We loved Burra so much that our planned two-night stay grew into three. Each evening before dusk, we wandered its streets – lined with historic stone homes – watching as the setting sun painted them in golden hues.
On our final afternoon, we ventured just outside town to photograph the‘ Midnight Oil house’. Famously featured on the 1987 album cover for Midnight Oil’ s Diesel & Dust, this solitary stone cottage sits against sweeping plains. It doesn’ t need a Key to visit – its appeal lies in its iconic, roadside charm.
Our conversations with locals – over morning coffee, bakery treats and evening meals – revealed a town united in pride and passion. Residents collectively maintain and present Burra’ s heritage with warmth and dedication. Burra unlocked its history for us, and our hearts followed.
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